Vending device



NITED STATES uPATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM S. FREEMAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

VENDING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,523, dated January "1', 1896.

Application filed December 19, 18'94. Serial No. 532,331. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. FREEMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vending Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in vending devices and the coin-operating mechanism used in connection therewith; and it consists of certain improvements which are fully setforth in the following specification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

Y My device is more particularly adapted to the supply of toilet or other paper for use in hotels, railway-carriages, and other public places, and is an improvement upon Letters Patent granted to David L. Hough and Herbert Knight, No. 417 ,7 26, dated December 24, 1889, and assigned to me on the 27th day of September, A. D. 1894.

In carrying out my invention I employ the apparatus hereinafter more fully described by which the regulated amount of paper is fed from a suitable support and carried out through an opening` in the case or box upon the deposit of a coin in the coin-slot.

"While my invention is particulary adapted to toilet paper, as shown in the accompanying drawings, it is not necessarily limited thereto and may be employed equally well for any articles which it is desired to feed out in regular quantities from a magazine.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a vertical section of my improved apparatus on the line ac a; of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line y gj of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detached vertical section on the line e' z of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detached front elevation of the coin-plate. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of the coin-lever. Fig. 6 is a detached sectional view on the line 1 2 of Fig. 2, showing a pawl engaging aratchet-wheel on the roller-shaft to prevent the latter from being turned backward. Fig. 7 is a sectional view similar to that shown in Fig. 1, but Inediiied so as to deliver from a roll of paperinstead of a pack.

A is a casing having a door A hinged at a point a. B is a plate to which the pack of toilet paper is secured by means of a hook ZJ,

which passes through the paper and has adepending portion b which enters a slot B2 in the plate B. At the top of said plate B are may be' brought in close contact with the roller as the pack diminishes, I provide the plate B with a spiral spring B5, the said spring being secured to the top of the plate by an eye h5 and to the bottom of-the casing A in like manner by an eye h6. The shaft cwhich carries the roller C has at one end a crank C by which said shaft and roller are operated. At the other end of the shaft is a pinion D which meshes with a gear-wheel E mounted on a stud E which is secured to the door A forming part of the casing A.

F is a coin-slot fastened to the casing A by screws f, and G is a coin-lever upon which the coin rests after passing through the coinslot F. The coin-lever G is fulcrumed at a `point g and has at one end a projection G upon which the coin rests prior to being delivered into the tray H. The other end of the coin-lever G passes through a guide-plate G2 andengages a notch e2 in the cam-plate E2, which is mounted upon the periphery of the gear-whcel E.

When a coin has been inserted into the coin-slot it drops upon the coin-lever G and depresses the same, bringing one end of the coin-lever in contact with a spring I, upon which it rests, and for a time prevents its further downward movement. This operation lifts the other end of the coin-lever out of the notch e2 of the cam-plate E2, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The gear-wheel E is now released and is free tol turn a com- IOO plete revolution through the medium of the crank C and pinion D. The coin is still retained in position between one side of the coin-slot and the coin-lever G. rIhe inclined projection e3 is brought in contact with the coin-lever G as the gear-wheel E approaches the position shown in Fig. l, which raises one end of the coin-lever, depressing the other end against the action of the spring I. This operation releases the coin from the coin-slot and allows the heavy end of the coin-lever G to return by gravity and engage the notch e2 of the coin-plate, thus locking the machine and preventing the same from operating again until a coin has been inserted in the slot F.

Secured to one side of the coin-slot F is a thin plate J which performs the office of guiding the coin after it leaves the coin-slot into the tray H. The tray II is made semicircular in cross-section and is secured to the door A of the casing by screws h.

At the right hand side of shaft c between the roller C and door A of the casing A, I provide a ratchet-wheel K secured firmly to said shaft c. Pivoted to the casing A directly in line with said ratchet is a pawl 7a which engages the teeth of the ratcheted wheel K to prevent the shaft c and mechanism connected therewith from being turned backward.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings I have shown a modified form of my invention, in which a roll of toilet-paper is employed instead of the pack, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The roll of paper R is supported by a shaft r passing through the same and carried by brackets A3 secured to the casing. The paper is fed from the roll by a roller C secured to a shaft c, which carries a pinion D operating in the same manner as shown and described in Figs. 1 and 2. Parallel with the roller C is a second roller C3, which is supported on springarms c3. This roller may, if desired, be driven in unison with the roller C by gear-wheels mounted upon each of the roller-shafts; but as shown in Fi g."7 of the drawings the roller C3 is free to turn upon the spring-arms c3 independent of the roller C and acts to press the paper as it passes between the two rollers firmly against the roughened surface of the roller C, so that the paper is fed downward as the latter rotates.

Having now described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In combination with a box or casing having a coin slot and delivery opening, a spring actuated supporting plate carrying the paper or articles to be delivered, a roller for feeding the paper or other articles from the supporting plate, a pinion mounted on the shaft of said roller, a gear wheel engaging said pinion, a cam working in conjunction with said gear wheel, a coin lever controlled by said coin, a spring for supporting one end of the coin lever to hold the coin in place until the sheets of paper or articles carried by the supporting plate have been delivered, substantially as specified.

2. In combination with abox or casing having a coin slot and delivery opening, a supporting plate carrying the paper or articles to be delivered, a spiral spring acting upon said supporting plate, a roller for feeding the paper or other articles from the said supporting plate, a pinion mounted upon the shaft of said roller, a gear wheel engaging said pinion, a cam working in conjunction with said gear wheel and having a notched portion into which the coin lever normally rests and an elevated portion for operating the coin lever to discharge the coin, a spring for supporting one end of the coin lever to hold the coin in place until the sheets of paper or articles carried by the supporting plate have been delivered, substantially as specified. j

3. In combination with a box or casing having a coin slot and delivery opening, a supporting plate carrying the paper or articles to be delivered, a spiral spring acting upon said supporting plate, a roller for feeding the paper or other articles from the said supporting plate, a ratchet wheel mounted upon the shaft of said roller, a pawl engaging said ratchet wheel, a gear wheel operated by a pinion also mounted upon the said roller shaft, a cam working in conjunction with said gear wheel and having a notched portion into which the coin lever normally rests and an elevated portion for operating the coin lever to discharge the coin, a spring for supporting one end of the coin lever to hold the coin in place until said coin lever is acted upon by the elevated portion of said cam, a guide plate surrounding said coin lever, a tray placed below the coin slot to receive the coins and a plate attached to said coin chute to guide the coins into the tray, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IVILLIAM S. FREEMAN. lVitnesses ROBERT W. LLOYD, PHILIP BoU'rELJE.

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